Game clubs in New York.
25 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Midtown, Upper West Side, Astoria. Most are free to join. The ones without a fixed day are listed below, linked to where they announce. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
Game nights in New York come in a few shapes: open board game evenings at a café or pub where you pull something off a shelf, chess clubs that run casual and rated nights, trivia with fixed teams, and tabletop RPG groups that look for new players between campaigns. Almost all run on a fixed weeknight.
Most are free or ask you to buy a drink. Turn up, say you are new, and someone will deal you in.
All 25 game clubs in New York.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Weeknight board games at QED, a small bar-venue in Astoria. Hobby games taught at the table; buy a drink and play.
Tuesdays, time varies · Astoria · $5 · meetup.com →Fortnightly chess over pints at Wild East Brewing in Gowanus. Boards are out from 7pm and anyone from first-timer to strong player gets a game.
Every other tuesdays, time varies · Free · meetup.com →Three board game sessions a week at Squarrel Cafe on Atlantic Avenue: Thursday and Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Big game library, newcomers get seated at a table.
Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, time varies · $8 · meetup.com →Weekly Tuesday game night at Cobblestones Pub on Queens Boulevard. Light to heavy Euro games, and they teach.
Tuesdays, 6pm · Forest Hills · $15 · meetup.com →Open D&D table every Wednesday night at Gamestoria, a game shop on Broadway in Astoria, organised through the NYC Dungeons & Dragons Meetup. Pay for your seat.
Wednesdays, 7pm · Astoria · $10 · meetup.com →LGBTQIA+ Magic: The Gathering group playing casual free-for-all every Sunday afternoon at The Hugh in Midtown East. Board games too.
Sundays, 1:30pm · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Casual Go at the Barnes & Noble cafe on Union Square every Sunday from noon. Beginners are actively encouraged and someone will teach you the rules.
Sundays, 12pm · Flatiron · Free · meetup.com →The Gotham Go Group's Tuesday evening session at the Hungarian Pastry Shop on Amsterdam Avenue opposite St John the Divine. All strengths play; bring a set if you have one.
Tuesdays, 5pm · Upper West Side · Free · meetup.com →LGBTQ board gamers who meet at The Hugh in Midtown East on Sundays, with games from party to heavy Euro supplied.
Sundays at The Hugh, announced on Meetup · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Every other Wednesday evening of board games at The Hugh food hall in Midtown East, pitched at meeting new people rather than heavy strategy. One of the largest game groups in the city.
Every other wednesdays, time varies · Midtown · $2 · meetup.com →Long-running Saturday board and card game afternoon at The Hugh food hall in Midtown East. Open from noon; anything from Scrabble to Diplomacy depending on who turns up.
Saturdays, 12pm · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Big Boggle and Scrabble on Sunday afternoons at The Hugh in Midtown East. Timed rounds, friendly but quick.
Sunday afternoons at The Hugh, announced on Meetup · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Beginner-focused D&D group running free open tables and learn-to-play sessions in NYPL branches (53rd Street, Seward Park). Dates vary.
Saturday afternoons at NYPL branches, announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →One-shot RPG afternoons for newcomers, roughly monthly, lately at QED in Astoria. RSVP windows open about two weeks before.
Roughly monthly Saturdays, announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Adult Yu-Gi-Oh players meeting in the public atrium at 120 Park Avenue by Grand Central: all-day Saturday general meetups, some weekday sessions, and a monthly Swiss tournament.
Saturdays, time varies · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Monday night board games at Fools Gold bar on East Houston. Free, casual, a big room of tables.
Mondays, 7pm · Lower East Side · Free · meetup.com →Saturday afternoon Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3e tables at Hex & Co West, 1pm to 6pm. Long-running open group.
Saturdays, 1pm · Upper West Side · Free · meetup.com →Gotham Go Group's Brooklyn Tuesday: Go boards at pinkFROG cafe on N 9th Street from 5pm. Newcomers get taught.
Tuesdays, 5pm · Williamsburg · Free · meetup.com →Every other Friday evening of board games at 269 4th Avenue near Carroll Street. One of the biggest game Meetups in the city, so there is always a table for a newcomer.
Every other fridays, time varies · Park Slope · $12 · meetup.com →Saturday afternoon board games in the lobby of the Hyatt Place in downtown Flushing. Small, steady group; bring a game or play theirs.
Saturdays, 1pm · Flushing · Free · meetup.com →Casual chess at The Living Room, the public lounge inside Pier 57 on the Hudson. Any time control, lessons for absolute beginners; co-listed by the Chess.com New York group.
Saturday afternoons at Pier 57, announced on Meetup · Chelsea · Free · meetup.com →Western Queens hobby gamers who alternate Tuesdays between Sanger Hall on Skillman Avenue and Pete's Grill on Queens Boulevard. They teach Catan-to-Codenames level games.
Tuesdays, 6pm · $15 · meetup.com →Thursday evening Go at the Whole Foods cafe in Gowanus, now run through the Gotham Go Group Meetup. Casual games, all strengths.
Thursdays, 6pm · Free · meetup.com →Sunday evening gaming at Hex & Co West on Broadway near Columbia, plus weekday afternoon sessions at Bryant Park's game tables in warmer months.
Sundays, 5pm · Upper West Side · $10 · meetup.com →Monday board games at Wild East Brewing in Gowanus. Bring a game or use theirs; the house asks for two drinks or the equivalent.
Mondays, 6pm · Two-drink minimum · meetup.com →
Questions people actually ask.
Do I need to bring a game?
Usually not. Open game nights have a library or a pile of regulars' games, and chess clubs have boards. If a group wants you to bring something, the listing or their page says so.
I only know the basics. Will that be a problem?
No. Open nights are built around teaching, and chess clubs post a casual night alongside any rated play. Tabletop RPG groups tend to be the one place where a short message first helps, because a table has a fixed number of seats.
Is there a cost?
Mostly a drink or a small table fee at a café. Chess clubs sometimes charge a few dollars a night or a modest yearly membership. It is always in the listing.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a game club in New York we don’t? Add it.